considering suicide

[Rumpole]

I'm 22,000 in credit card debt. I had a medical bill turned over to collections in the past week.

I feel so frightened, so overwhelmed. I can;t see any way out. I have no family, no one to talk to, no one to advise me. I fear the credit card debt is insurmountable.

[napsterkct]

hi take it easy

[Amerikaner83]

I can guarantee you there are people who frequent this board with a heck of a lot more debt than you. I can also guarantee you that you can get out of it easier than you might think.

Give details about your situation - 22K in CC bills may seem like a lot, but it's not all that bad. A medical collection? No problem, how long ago did it go to collections?

NOTHING is worth one's life - especially not something as stupid as a bit of debt, trust me.

[Rumpole]

Right now all I can do is cry. I just found out yesterday that a medical bill went to collection. It is about 400 to 500 but don't know how much they add to the original bill.

My CC's are almost maxed out but would have enought to pay the hospital bill. One of the CC's has gone to 18.25%, I'm sure the rest will follow when a collection shows up on my credit report. I'll never get them paid off.

Please anyone, where do I start.

[scorch]

Right now all I can do is cry. I just found out yesterday that a medical bill went to collection. It is about 400 to 500 but don't know how much they add to the original bill.

Based on my own experience, they can add as much as -100%

[Amerikaner83]

first of all, calm down.

Secondly - talk to the hospital tomorrow. NOT the collection agency, the HOSPITAL. Tell them you can afford to pay them, and then go ahead and do it. Then call up your CC companies and tell them you want to make payments on your cards but the interest is too much to maintain and you want to be proactive before you default on the cards. Ask for their hardship dept. They have plans that cut yoru interest and what not if you agree to not use the card for awhile...get on one of those.

thirdly - Don't use the card! Even if you're NOT on one of those plans I mentioned above, not using the card is your best bet.

[Rumpole]

Amerikaner

I would have to use the cc to pay the hospital, but that would be the very last charge.

[Amerikaner83]

in y our other thread didn't you say you were able to pay it? If you meant use the CC, then dont do that, certainly. Do as Scorch alludes to, call them up and see what they can do. explain your situation and you may be very surprised - I"ve had a doctor agree to 50 a month for a year before, paying them directly.

[scorch]

Yea, haggle with them.

[Rumpole]

can the hospital choose to take it out of collections?

I am current with my cc payments.

[scorch]

can the hospital choose to take it out of collections?

Yes.

[Amerikaner83]

just because it's in collections, doesn't mean the hospital sold it...they usually don't do that for a LONG time, like months/years.

They can take it out of collections if they want to. They can zero it out if they want to. That doesn't happen (zeroing) very often, but the point is that you do have options, especially if the hospital just recently handed it over to a CA.

[Rumpole]

Amer

Thank you, I do have 100 available in checking and should be able to pay another 200 in cash in 2 weeks.

I do believe my income will be a little better in the coming months. Originally I had worked out with the hospital to pay 100 per month but did not religiously keep up on my part of the bargain, I believe I have paid them about 300.

Because I did not keep up with the first plan I'm scared they won't give me a second chance.

[cporemsk]

Being harassed by bill collectors can be quite stressful, but the era of debtors' prisons is over.

Even if you owed hundreds of thousands of dollars, your creditors cannot have you put in jail, and they cannot kill you. YOU ARE NOT YOUR DEBTS. The worst thing that can happen to you is that your credit score will drop, which means you pay a higher interest rate when you want to buy a house or a car. This is not a life-and-death situation.

Others have posted some great advice for you -- keep your chin up, take everything one step at a time, talk to all of your creditors. Everything is negotiable.

[cporemsk]

One more thought... if you're feeling down about your debts, listen to a great radio show with Regis Sauger. He's got such a down-home way of explaining credit issues, and you may even smile at some of his stories.

Go to blogtalkradio (dot) com, and do a search for "Credit Professor." Sit down with a cup of tea and listen to the Old Man -- you may feel much better.

[saint al]

Because I did not keep up with the first plan I'm scared they won't give me a second chance.

[docniss]

Hey, definitely calm down, it is not that bad though I know it seems that way right now. A couple of years ago my family had $80k in cc debt ( mostly business related) and $7k in medical. I have totally resolved those issues with the creditors with almost no $ out of my pocket. I am now in the process of repairing my credit. PM me if you want more help, but ending your life is the wrong way to go.

[trueq]

$22,000? That's all? I have business/personal default 30 times that plus an unidentified amount of identity theft.

I had the same feelings, but you soon realize there are so many things more important in the world.

Your situation can be fixed fairly quickly compared to mine with BK or a payment plan.

OR negotiate!!!

I'm willing to bet the medical provider will take 50-60 cents on the $. (assuming all $22,000 is medical debt)

Borrow the $11,000 from a credit card to wipe out medical issue. If credit card issues then become too much, you could always negotiate that down as well. The possibilities are endless on this front.

I will tell you one thing from my experience...I am much better off for it!!!!

(In terms of negotiating skills, legal skills, better investment diligence, decision making, just to name a few...)

I've been sued several times and nothing is more satisfying than beating a professional bar lawyer in court! I may end up in front of our State Supreme Court on one (or 2) issue(s) in the next 24 months. No matter what the result, the experience is its own reward. How many non-lawyers get that experience?

What we think are the biggest challenges at the time turn out to help define and shape who we are.

If I could trade all the financial challenges away in exchange for giving up what I have gained in terms of knowledge and experience.....

I would say, "What? Are you kidding? Not in a million years!"

[Rumpole]

Thank you all I finally cried myself to sleep, which is what I guess I needed. Don't feel as bad as I did this morning.

a company named Kadent has the hospital account

[cinnamngrl]

:)hang in there!

I hope you will feel up to calling the hospital on monday, but even if you don't; send them a payment that you can afford and call them a couple of days after that.

[agin]

I have been through a lot of this since my wife got sick years ago. Medical bills must be hard to collect as they seem to almost always be willing to negotiate. Do as mentioned in the last post and send a payment make it affordable to you, say $25 and send a letter telling why you got behind. Also ask them to contact you so that you can work out a deal that is more realistic for you.

If you got this bill from a lack of insurance you may not know they have different pay scales for the insured and non insured. People without insurance pay full price and the others have contracts to pay as little as 10%. There is plenty of room to negotiate.

Good luck and remember they can not eat you.

[CASD]

I had a $8500 hospital bill after the wives C-Sec last year...I filed the financial hard-case papers and they wrote off all of it but we still have the Doctors and labs but they made the payments low enough and they all will be paid off this Aug... Since then our income has gotten alot better and my defaulted student loan that was $20500 after all the fees was reduced back down to $10500(original amount) and we'll pay that off by Aug.

Here is a web site to help you set up a payment plan that will get it done quicker: https://powerpay.org/ it's basically snowballing your bills

Good Luck!!

[Robert Nashville/Savannah]

Over the years, I’ve come to conclude that there may be legitimate reasons for taking one’s own life…at the very least, I can understand why some would do so. Even then I would likely argue against a person doing so.

That said, I don’t think I can think of a worse reason to take you own life than having a bunch of debt whether it’s $20 thousand or $20 million.

I can tell you with 100% assurance that no matter how much debt you owe and no matter why you owe it; you absolutely can get through this and you CAN PROSPER and there are many, many people on this board who have owed fare more than you and probably has far less income than you who could attest to the same thing.

Before you pay of any debt to anybody, I strongly suggest that if you aren’t already doing so, sit down and establish a real budget…one that you can truly live on...you need to absolutely know where each dollar coming in is coming from and where it needs to go to cover your essentials. Once you’d done that, then and only then can you know what you can afford to pay anybody.

That includes your credit cards.

If you can meet all your essentials and keep your credit cards current then do so but if not, then you can’t and they’ll just have to wait.

Yes it will hurt your credit history but your credit history is WAY down on the list of things to worry about right now.

Spend time reading the threads here…read about some of the problems people have had and how they’ve overcome them….learn your rights and the laws that protect consumers…knowledge will allow you to face all these issues from a position of strength.

Lastly, and I don’t say this flippantly…if you are truly having feelings of suicide then talk with a counselor…not only is there no shame in doing so but it’s the right and smart thing to do…you do not have to be alone even if you feel like you have no one to turn to.

[admin]

I just had a friend come to me for help with his $100,000 in credit card debt. He is distraught as well, but I've been helping him. I myself, had to declare a bankruptcy for about $25,000 in debt. It was tough, but I made it. You're not alone.

I wrote this article up which may be of help to you.

http://www.creditinfocenter.com/bankruptcy/dont-qualify-for-bankruptcy.shtml

[GlitterGal]

Rumpole,

Please call the hospital. I work very closely with the Business Office in mine and have at several other hospitals. Most have a policy that if you are very nice and ask to have it pulled back from the collection agency, they will do so if you set up a payment schedule.

You should know that, unlike your cc debts, medical bills do not gain interest while they are in the hospital's control. Once the debt goes to CA, then the CA may jack up the cost, but usually the hospital will still work with you.

Also, make certain you determine if it is the right amount that you owe. Often times, a miscommunication between the hospital and your insurance company can lead to a higher amount owed.

If you don't have insurance, make sure you ask about charity programs. Alot of hospitals have programs to change the owed amount depending on your insurance situation.

And finally, if you absolutely cannot pay it and have to let it stay in collections, it is not the end of the world. Remember that the hospital in question is still required by law to treat you on an emergent basis if you need it. It does not matter if you owe them $400 or $4,000,000!